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DRYING: FINISHING (Pottery, for artists)
CHAPTER IX DRYING : FINISHING "There nis no workeman whosoever he be That can werke bothe welle and hastile." "Merchants Tale." DRYING out is quite an important part of pot making. For this a drying cupboard is a necessity. It is easily erected, if the front and sides of wood be backed against a wall. Across the bottom, which should be open, run a row of gas jets protected above by perforated zinc or iron. At the top, which is boarded in, place a small sliding panel to insure a draught. With side brackets and removable shelves it should answer all purposes. A cupboard may be built over a radiator, but here the heat is not so easily regulated. A thermometer inside the cupboard will be an advantage, for a wet pot straight from the wheel will warp in a warmth that would be quite suited to tough shapes. The green or damp wares should be put on the top shelves and brought nearer the heat as they dry. Large shapes put into the cup- board to dry quickly are very liable to crack across 90 the base. Any flush of heat upon them through any aperture in the shelves will cause them to dry streak- ily. Turning then becomes difficult or impossible. Bowls, if not too fragile, may with care be piled one within the other. This helps to retain their shape. Tiles are best stacked in piles dusted with flint or with a piece of clay at each corner between them. Tiles should never be placed in the cupboard until quite dry and straight. Flat platters or dishes require very careful drying to prevent buckling and should be reversed on a piece of sanded glass. When shapes are dried in the open air, they often get hard at the rim before the bottom stiffens. They need reversing to counteract this tendency. To retard drying, which may often be necessary, a damp-box is needed. A large box, zinc-lined and fitted with plaster slabs, is an excellent device. The plaster must be kept moist with water. A well- tarred box with a close-fitting lid is more easily constructed and will serve most purposes. All work to be stuck up or modelled on should be kept in the damp-box until quite finished and then dried very gradually. In all kinds of sticking up the body and the addi- tion should be of the same consistency. Re-wetting is dangerous but may be resorted to in moderation with stout thrown shapes. Ornament added when the shape is nearly dry is very likely to leave in the 91 biscuiting, although apparently quite firm in the green state. Cast shapes dry very rapidly and should be fin- ished before they become white dry. With practice handles, masks, and the like can be affixed in the dry state with slip, but it demands its careful and sparing use. Cracks or holes in dried shapes can with great care be filled, a stiff wedge of clay being firmly pressed in and welded to the slightly moistened sides of the crack. The plaster tools (Fig. 44) will be found very handy for working on the dry clay. With skill and patience much repairing may be done on unfired shapes, but it is waste of time to attempt it unless the beauty of the piece warrants it. It is far better if the piece be faulty to throw it back into the bin at this stage. Once fired, it is likely to remain an irremediable eye- sore. One or two other points bearing on finish have been mentioned before in previous chapters, but these last touches are so important that they will bear some reiteration. TOOL5 The finality burned in by the biscuit- FIG. 44 92 ing should induce a careful and sound completion of each object ; yet paradoxical as it may seem, the less finishing, the better for the piece. It is no part of a craftsman's work to go finnicking with file and sand- paper ; too frequently nothing remains of what might have been a vigorous shape but a meticulous finish. The best Japanese work was superb in this re- spect and despite the many quaint and surprising shapes into which they fashioned the clay, it very rarely seems to lose its plastic character, it never assumes forms more suited to metal, wood, or stone. Again the character that comes with correct treatment is never smothered. Often the ribs or ridges made by the fingers or the tool in forming the shape are frankly left to contribute their quota to the general effect. The lips are rounded with scrupulous care and angles removed without a sug- gestion of weakness. Where large utensils, ewers and the like, are in question, mediaeval pottery is rich in suggestion for handles, spouts, and such added forms. It is only when such additions are affixed that one realizes the nicety of adjustment required between the size, shape, and situation of the handle or spout and the vessel to which it is attached. It is here that an appreciation and an intelligent use of his- toric ornament is necessary. Categoría:Pottery, for artists, craftsmen & teachers